* Bennett, Robert Jackson : City of Stairs
(Crown/Broadway 978-0-8041-3717-1, $15, 448pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-0-8041-3718-8

Fantasy novel about a city, Bulikov, that conquered the world until its divine protectors were killed.
• Random House’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review says, “Bennett ventures into secondary-world fantasy in this action-packed, occasionally numinous, noir-like novel, which combines metaphysical and geopolitical observations.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Carlson, Amanda : Red Blooded
(Orbit 978-0316404334, $15, 368pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316404341
• UK edition: 978-0356504032 (Thu 9 Oct 2014)
• Jessica McClain #4

Fantasy novel, fourth in a series following Full Blooded (2012), Hot Blooded (Apr 2013), and Cold Blooded (Oct 2013), about a woman who becomes the first female werewolf.
• Hachette’s site has this description with a preview function.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Eller, Jonathan R. : Ray Bradbury Unbound
(University of Illinois 978-0-252-03869-3, $34.95, 336pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Sat 30 Aug 2014

Nonfiction biography of Ray Bradbury, a continuation of Eller’s earlier book Becoming Ray Bradbury (2011), this time focusing on Bradbury’s film and stage projects.
• The publisher’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “… fans who know Bradbury only for his fiction are likely to enjoy this diverse look at his work and creative process.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Finn, Ed, & Kathryn Cramer, eds. : Hieroglyph
(HarperCollins/Morrow 978-0062204691, $27.99, 560pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014

Anthology of 20 original stories, subtitled “Stories and Visions for a Better Future”, inspired by a 2011 essay by Neal Stephenson.
• Authors include Neal Stephenson, Gregory Benford, Rudy Rucker, Cory Doctorow, David Brin, and Bruce Sterling.
• Lawrence M. Krauss provides a foreword, Neal Stephenson a preface, and the editors an introduction.
• The book’s Scribd page shows the table of contents and several pages of preview.
• HarperCollins’ site has this description.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Gould, Steven : Exo
(Tor 978-0765336545, $25.99, 464pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781466828483
• Jumper #5

SF novel, latest in a series following Jumper (1992), Reflex (2004), prequel Jumper: Griffin’s Story (2007), and Impulse (2013), about a teenager who can teleport.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Harrison, Kim : The Witch With No Name
(Harper Voyager 978-0-06-195795-6, $26.99, 480pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062356017
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062350619
• Hollows #13

Urban fantasy novel, thirteenth and final volume in the “Hollows” or “Rachel Morgan” series about bounty hunter-witch Rachel Morgan, following Dead Witch Walking, The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, Every Which Way but Dead, A Fistful of Charms, For a Few Demons More, The Outlaw Demon Wails, White Witch, Black Curse, Black Magic Sanction, Pale Demon, A Perfect Blood, Ever After (2012), and The Undead Pool (Mar 2014).
• HarperCollins’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “The magical escapades are plentiful and profound, as Harrison goes for one final shake-up of the status quo, and they lead to a satisfying ending for almost everyone involved. A Rowlingesque peek into the future offers some last-minute surprises, and should be enough to satisfy any fan who’s followed Rachel’s journey from its beginning.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Kress, Nancy : Yesterday’s Kin
(Tachyon Publications 978-1-61696-175-6, $14.95, 189pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014

SF novel aliens who arrive on Earth warning of a plague of spores that threatens both them and humanity.
• Tachyon’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “There’s plenty of modern science in the story, but the plot’s twists and moral quality feel oddly reminiscent of golden-age stories.”
• Both Gardner Dozois and Gary K. Wolfe review the book in the September issue of Locus Magazine. Dozois calls it “one of the strongest sto- ries of the year to date”, while Wolfe concludes, “Kress’s clear prose and deft strokes of character add to the sense of a much larger canvas done almost in miniature, and her ideas, even when some-what familiar, are as compelling as always. She is, as I mentioned earlier, a hard SF writer in the classic mold, and she shows us that the form still has a lot of life in it.”

(Fri 29 Aug 2014)
• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Link, Kelly, & Gavin J. Grant, eds. : Monstrous Affections
(Candlewick Press 978-0763664732, $22.99, 480pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014

Young adult anthology of 15 original stories about monsters and love.
• Authors include Paolo Bacigalupi, Nalo Hopkinson, Patrick Ness, Kelly Link, M.T. Anderson, and Holly Black.
• Candlewick’s site has this description with a link to a 56-page PDF sampler.
• Publishers Weekly gives this a starred review, citing stories by Bacigalupi, Black, Anderson, and others, concluding “all of the entries are strong, and many are splendid.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Maguire, Gregory : Egg & Spoon
(Candlewick Press 978-0763672201, $17.99, 496pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014

Middle-grade fantasy novel, based on Russian folklore, about an impoverished girl who switches placed with a wealthy young woman on a passing train.
• Candlewick’s site has this description with a link to a 49-page PDF sampler.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Like the matryoshka doll Elena carries, there are a lot of layers to Maguire’s story. Rich, descriptive language will reward readers who like to sink their teeth into a meaty story.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Miller, Karen : The Falcon Throne
(Orbit 978-0-316-12008-1, $20, 528pp, hardcover, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316235563
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781619696730
• UK edition: 978-1841499598 (Tue 9 Sep 2014)
• Tarnished Crown #1

Fantasy novel, first book in a new series, about strife within a divided kingdom.
• Hachette’s site has this description with a preview function.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Despite some flaws, the story is complex and engrossing; fans of George R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie should particularly take note.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Parzybok, Benjamin : Sherwood Nation
(Small Beer Press 978-1-61873-086-2, $16, 400pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014

Near future SF novel about a drought-stricken Portland, Oregon.
• Small Beer’s site has this description with quotes from numerous reviews.
• The Publishers Weekly review comments, “Parzybok’s self-conscious reinvention of the Robin Hood legend is well-founded on contemporary environmental, social, and economic concerns…”
• Paul Di Filippo will a have a review for Locus Online later this month.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Planck, M. C. : Sword of the Bright Lady
(Pyr 978-1-61614-988-8, $18, 403pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• World of Prime #1

Fantasy novel, first in a new series, about an man who goes for a walk in Arizona and finds himself in a magical world.
• Pyr’s site has this description.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers looking for a new twist on an old story will be interested in this tale of modern idealism set in a gritty medieval world.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)

* Waldorf, Marek : Widow’s Dozen
(Turtle Point Press 978-1-933527-77-2, $15.95, 316pp, trade paperback, September 2014)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 9 Sep 2014
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-933527-78-9

Collection of 11 interrelated short stories connected by a 1974 time capsule in New York’s Bearden County.
• The publisher has a description on its recent and forthcoming books page.
• The Publishers Weekly review describes it as “Eleven stories [that] portray a world rocked by a bizarre disaster that plays havoc with natural laws. Whether that world is ours, an alternate world, a combination of the two, or something else entirely, depends on who is narrating, and when.” The review concludes, “This collection could prove a hard read for readers looking for more traditional fiction, but will attract those willing to indulge anchorless experimental prose.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound
• (Directory Entry)